A Sad Summer for Dogs: 60 Puppies in Israel Await a Warm Home
For most children in Israel, summer vacation is a time for the beach, the pool, and trips. But for dozens of puppies currently in the regional kennel in Sderot, summer looks quite different: they spend their days in enclosures waiting for a family. In recent months, dozens of puppies born to stray dogs in the fields of the Western Negev have been rescued. Today, about 60 puppies are at the Sderot kennel, looking for an adoptive family.
For most children in Israel, the summer vacation is a time of sea, pool, trips, and experiences. But for dozens of small puppies currently in the regional kennel in Sderot, summer looks completely different. Instead of running in the fields, playing in the yard, or growing up alongside a loving family, they spend their days in kennel enclosures waiting for someone to give them a home.
In recent months, dozens of puppies were collected across the Western Negev that were born to stray dogs in fields and open areas of the regional councils. This is a seasonal phenomenon that occurs every year, when many puppies are born during the whelping season under difficult terrain conditions.
Some were found suffering from dehydration, hunger, and severe heat, and might not have survived without intervention. Alongside rescuing the puppies, the mothers were also rescued and treated by the veterinary service.
Today, about 60 puppies are staying at the Sderot kennel, looking for an adopting family. The staff provide them with food, medical care, vaccinations, and human warmth as much as possible, but they emphasize that a kennel cannot replace a home.
For a young puppy, every additional day behind bars is a day they miss the most important period of their development—the time when they learn to get to know the world, get used to people, and build the sense of security that will accompany them throughout the rest of their life.
An Unusual Load Since October 7
Since the events of October 7, the veterinary inspectors of Eshkol Negev Me’arevi have been dealing with an unusual and ongoing load. Alongside their routine tasks, they were required to deal with animals left behind after the evacuation of settlements, to rescue dogs from combat areas, and to deal with a significant increase in the number of calls.
Even today, almost three years later, the load remains especially high. During the whelping season, it intensifies even further, when teams go out every day to rescue puppies and stray females, carry out captures, and operate around the clock to save animals and maintain public health.
“Our teams work throughout the year to save animals in distress, but during the whelping season the load increases significantly. Behind every puppy found here there is a story of rescue. Now our mission is to find them families. Every adoption gives new life to one puppy and allows us to save the next one in line,” said Bela Alexandrov, CEO of Eshkol Negev Me’arevi.
Dr. Yevgeny Komlev, director of the veterinary service of Eshkol Negev Me’arevi, explains:
“The whelping season brings with it a significant increase in the number of stray puppies. Without intervention, many of them do not survive the difficult terrain conditions. We make every effort to save them, treat them, and also take care of the mothers, but the best place for every puppy is a home. Alongside adoptions, we continue with the sterilization and neutering activity for stray dogs, in order to reduce the phenomenon and prevent unnecessary suffering in the future.”
At the kennel, they call on the public to come, get to know the puppies, and adopt. Each of them has undergone a veterinary check, receives dedicated care, and is waiting for one opportunity—a family that will open the door for it and allow it to spend the rest of the summer where every puppy needs to be: at home.
